Head, University of North Carolina
Jeff Connors is entering his 16th year as a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. He played collegiate football at Salem University in West Virginia, where he was the starting quarterback and defensive back every year. He was the team captain, and led the team in interceptions. He also received the Team Lifter Award going into his senior year.
A former police officer in South Florida, he became a fitness director for the Delrae Beach Police Department and received accommodations for winning the Florida State Police Olympics in power lifting.
Coach Connors also won the State power lifting titles in Tennessee, as well as North and South Carolina. He was the state runner-up in Pennsylvania, and he was ranked 4th in the nation in powerlifting by the ADFPA.
After coaching football and wrestling at the high school level for four years, he directed the strength and conditioning program at Bucknell University for three years, from 1987-1991. He then became the Director of Strength and Conditioning at East Carolina University for the next 10 years, from 1991-2001. He is currently the Assistant Athletic Director of Strength and Conditioning at the University of North Carolina.
During his career, Coach Connors has attended 6 bowl games, winning the Peach Bowl his first year at East Carolina University, and also winning the Peach Bowl his first year at University of North Carolina. Connors previously served as a state chairman for the NSCA in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. He has also been recognized as a Regional Strength Coach of the Year and was nominated for the National Strength Coach of the Year. He has presented at four national conferences, and he previously owned Elite Fitness Trainers, Inc. in Greenville, NC for eight years.
